Good point. But the real questions is : Who will reign in future ? It looks like the iPhone / iOS hype is diminishing very quickly. Android is defnitely the market leader, but WP7 will make 2011 interesting.

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Senior Member

Apple's figures are impressive if you consider that they have 1 phone (only memory size difference) and 1 operating system. That one phone and one os takes on the whole market with Android as the OS and a multitude of handsets from various manufacturers running Android. I therefore think that Apples sales have been impressive. They have even beat RIM, one os with multiple handsets.

On the other end the Android figures are a bit misleading ... and Android may be destined for a collapse. The whole OS is being developed in a fragmented way. The handset manufacturers take a base OS from Android and they tweak it. So Android on a Samsung is different to Android on a HTC, is different to Android on any other handset. From one Android, you have three or four branches of OS's.

Honorary Master

On the other end the Android figures are a bit misleading ... and Android may be destined for a collapse. The whole OS is being developed in a fragmented way. The handset manufacturers take a base OS from Android and they tweak it. So Android on a Samsung is different to Android on a HTC, is different to Android on any other handset. From one Android, you have three or four branches of OS's.

Active Member

Apple's figures are impressive if you consider that they have 1 phone (only memory size difference) and 1 operating system. That one phone and one os takes on the whole market with Android as the OS and a multitude of handsets from various manufacturers running Android. I therefore think that Apples sales have been impressive. They have even beat RIM, one os with multiple handsets.

On the other end the Android figures are a bit misleading ... and Android may be destined for a collapse. The whole OS is being developed in a fragmented way. The handset manufacturers take a base OS from Android and they tweak it. So Android on a Samsung is different to Android on a HTC, is different to Android on any other handset. From one Android, you have three or four branches of OS's.

Android's figures are impressive if you consider that they have 1 OS worldwide that works with a dozen different hardware platforms. That's one code base which takes on the whole market with a multitude of handsets from various manufacturers running Android.
I therefore think that Android sales have been impressive. They have even beat Apple and RIM, both one OS with multiple handsets.
(i.e. spot the difference between iOS1 ... iOS4...umm)

On the other end the Apple figures are a bit misleading ... and Apple may be destined for a collapse. The whole OS is being developed in a closed and limited to innovation way. The handset manufacturer (Apple) has taken a base OS from Linux and they tweaked it to create iOS. So iOS on a iPhone1 is iOS on a iPhone4, from generation to generation, you have essentially only three or four branches of OS's but with marginally improved handsets which get progressively more expensive as time goes past.

I ask how long can Apple still sell the same old thing to the same old people and fool them time and time and time again?

Senior Member

Apple's figures are impressive if you consider that they have 1 phone (only memory size difference) and 1 operating system. That one phone and one os takes on the whole market with Android as the OS and a multitude of handsets from various manufacturers running Android. I therefore think that Apples sales have been impressive. They have even beat RIM, one os with multiple handsets.

On the other end the Android figures are a bit misleading ... and Android may be destined for a collapse. The whole OS is being developed in a fragmented way. The handset manufacturers take a base OS from Android and they tweak it. So Android on a Samsung is different to Android on a HTC, is different to Android on any other handset. From one Android, you have three or four branches of OS's.

You couldn't be more wrong, Android works on so many different devices and is easily configured by the phone manufacturers but as the previous poster said, all this will change in the upcoming major Android update where Google aims to standardize the UI and we all know that Google gets these things right, they know what people want so i can only expect that it will be a very successful update.

Apple isolates its users by limiting the OS, the only dev exposure it gets is with Apple them self. Apple was appealing because nothing could really compete with the UI, it was simple and has been that way for years which is why people bought it then along comes Google with a much much better OS, offering variety to the user. HTC and Samsung have done a great job with the phones and this continues to improve and if you think about it, Apple just brought out the iPhone 4 which competes with current phone yet early next year we expect to see more powerful phones from Samsung and HTC along with an improved Android and considering the way Apple work, you will only see an upgraded phone quite far in the future which gives Google time to push through.

Yes, you say it's impressive that they only really have one phone but now that has become a liability where they are unable to offer variety. Android can only get stronger whereas Apple, well they just peaked with the iPhone 4, they don't have anything else to offer for quite a while.

Active Member

...im going with Symbian and Android. for me RIM never showed any hardwork people bought BBs because of free browsing and public figure influence...(same as iOS though the OS is a masterpiece).
N8 is going to boost Symbian sales but Android is definitely going for the number1 spot

Well-Known Member

Android's figures are impressive if you consider that they have 1 OS worldwide that works with a dozen different hardware platforms. That's one code base which takes on the whole market with a multitude of handsets from various manufacturers running Android.

Really? Let me break it down for you: based on the numbers we'll have to flesh out a scenario. If there were 100 cellphones sold worldwide last year, then this year there would have been 135 phones sold worldwide (this includes "dumb"- and smartphones). Last year the iPhone would've sold 2.3 of the 100. This year, they would've sold 4,32 (which is close to double of what they sold last year). This is only counting the cellphone market. This doesn't even begin to take into account the iPod touch and iPad sales - all of which run fully-fledged versions of the iOS.

Granted Android runs on any number of tablet devices, but we'll come to that shortly.

Need I point out that Apple recently surpassed Microsoft to become the biggest tech company in the world? iOS isn't going away any time soon.

What is so innovative about slapping together a bastardised version of Java that violates licensing agreements and infringes copyrights? What's so open about denying Android Market access to any number of tablet devices that run said bastardised version of Java that violates licensing agreements and infringes copyrights?

So iOS on a iPhone1 is iOS on a iPhone4, from generation to generation, you have essentially only three or four branches of OS's but with marginally improved handsets which get progressively more expensive as time goes past.

Maybe you don't understand the progress made on iOS because of the "incredible strides" made on Android to try to catch it up with iOS.
Maybe you can't understand that the average consumer values consistency and doesn't want to re-learn how to use a device between each hardware iteration - nevermind between each software update.
Maybe you should know that my iPhone 4 cost less than my iPhone 3GS and my iPhone 3G before that.

Essentially you're arguing in favour of fragmented software and premature end-of-life for hardware.

Sure, there's room to grow for both platforms, but it's coming at the expense of the older ones. WinMo died, Symbian seems to be losing ground quickly, however, with the introduction of Windows Phone 7, Android looks weaker than iOS does specifically because WP7 will be looking to gain marketshare on devices made by multiple manufacturers. So while Android will fight being displaced by WP7, iOS stands no chance of being removed from Apple's devices.

Well-Known Member

You couldn't be more wrong, Android works on so many different devices and is easily configured by the phone manufacturers but as the previous poster said, all this will change in the upcoming major Android update where Google aims to standardize the UI and we all know that Google gets these things right, they know what people want so i can only expect that it will be a very successful update.

Apple isolates its users by limiting the OS, the only dev exposure it gets is with Apple them self. Apple was appealing because nothing could really compete with the UI, it was simple and has been that way for years which is why people bought it then along comes Google with a much much better OS, offering variety to the user.

HTC and Samsung have done a great job with the phones and this continues to improve and if you think about it, Apple just brought out the iPhone 4 which competes with current phone yet early next year we expect to see more powerful phones from Samsung and HTC along with an improved Android and considering the way Apple work, you will only see an upgraded phone quite far in the future which gives Google time to push through.

So Samsungs next big update - the Nexus S - has one big hardware improvement over the iPhone 4. The camera is 8MP vs. the iPhone's 5MP. Other than that, it's pretty much the same phone as the Galaxy S. Other manufacturers are going to keep making new hardware, just like Apple will. What you're failing to realise is that people don't all mindlessly follow the latest technology just because it has better specs. There are other incentives that come into play.

Yes, you say it's impressive that they only really have one phone but now that has become a liability where they are unable to offer variety. Android can only get stronger whereas Apple, well they just peaked with the iPhone 4, they don't have anything else to offer for quite a while.

Essentially what you see with the successful growth of Android is a demonstration of the long tail. While fewer sales of less successful handsets increase Android's market share, the huge success of the iPhone 4 isn't diminished because of it. There's room for both platforms and we'll likely see them coexist for some time to come.

Well-Known Member

Why is there always such a big argument about which OS is better? Whether it's PC or cellphone, people seem to get so damn worked up over this. The smartphone market is taking off in a big way, and the OSes are in their relative infancies. Why can't we all just say that the more competing manufacturers and OSes there are out there, the better for us? iOS has its problems, Android has its problems, WP7 clearly has its problems - same goes for Meego, Blackberry etc.

I for one hope that they all solve their various problems, and continue to innovate and compete furiously - all the better for us. I couldn't care less who started the boon in smartphones, who invented the technologies, or who stole what from whom. All that matters is what suits you and what's coming next.

My personal preference right now is for Android - though I happen to think iOS is awesome having played around on it extensively. Just a bit too restrictive for my tastes, though not so for millions of others - and I have no problem with that Don't have much experience with BB or Meego etc. but I try and keep abreast of developments and reviews to see how things are shaping up...

I try my best not to be a 'fanboy', it never really solves any disputes - the 'which is better' arguments sometimes get so heated you'd think it was a religious debate! Trying to find a place to have a constructive discussion about the pros and cons of various OSes against each other (in the PC world too) anywhere on the interwebz is practically impossible

Executive Member

Couldn't agree more. Yeah the pointless fighting as seen everywhere on the internet is getting really old now.

In 10 years time we shall have so much more perspective on these issues!

It's great to see such awesome smartphone OS'es all over the place, iOS, WebOS, Android, WP7. Meego and Symbian need to up their game. BB 6 is pretty good and has some unique strengths. So theres a lot of good things out there and a lot of competition, which drives innovation, so everyone wins!